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The latest blog here wakes place between June 12th to 14th in Xian. After another long train journey overnight we made it to xian bright and early and made base at the home inn hotel. We were given out keys to the rooms but when we all entered each one at 9pm still had te previous guest in and all were sleeping ad Chinese. The response to our intrusion was loud rants in Chinese in a dark room which resulted in a swift slamming of the door for all five rooms. When we returned to the reception the staff apologised for the '' simple mistake'' and we were given new rooms.
We dropped out bags and didn't have time I rest or shower as the tour in xian involved a tour around the pagoda temple. After a journey in the public bus we made it to the parogoda temple( a place home to 72 monks as of today) and were given a tour kindly by a professor John who regularly volunteers to help out with the temple tours. We learnt many fascinating facts about the monks who lived thousands of years ago around the Temple and about the Chinese Buddha.
We were then given a lecture by professor John on Chinese writing on rice paper and of the time Nd dedication put Into artwork ranging from 6 month to ten years an about donation made in the nearby art gallery for the monks and we had a look around the art gallery of donated pictures that represented important Chinese aspects of the culture.
Xian is famously known in china as the city of the arts in art, theatre and film etc and I was so taken in by the artwork I donate 100 yen for my name to be written in Chinese and given the Chinese meaning on rice paper on a scroll as a souvenir. The name rowland in Chinese is a family name that means good virtue, understanding and wisdom and family. Something my parent might not have anticipated at the time of choosing a Chinese traditional family name of great meaning.
Following the art gallery and the parogoda tour our group divided up with the German and the Americans heading off to explore the city on their own and myself the Swedish sisters and the other travellers with the nhs physician choosing to head out for lunch at a Chinese restaurant for again more spicy noodles with chill. Following this we went off the explore the nearby muslin quarter market and bell tower of xian. Here we saw what would be the black market of xian where cheaper wallets and handbags were on sale behind a bookcase in a shop Charlie out guide knew off. A very private privilege where I bought myself a nice new wallet for a good bargain of 39 pounds in Chinese yen and amongst te fake items on sale for 5 Chinese yen a head massage device.
Whilst exploring the market to my surprise I saw a mosque. Something I never expected in china. Charlie this have me a lecture on the similarities between Chinese and Arabs in wealth and eating habits and dress code. Quite an eye opener insight. Another surprise was since at the time I was wearing a koh tao shirt an Australian woman from Perth came up to me asking if I had been there recently and asked for advice on the island and accommodation for a for day stint with some friends on a tour of Thailand. Whether or now fortune( something the Chinese strongly believe in) played a part in this meeting I didn't know but still was happy to detail my time on koh tao and recommend resort to stay at and then we parted ways. Following the afternoon of exploring and buying from the market we all shared two tuk Tuks back to the homeinn. This was out Hanse to how're and with the terrible Internet look at the news and emails. I was unsuccessful in Internet but that is not the concern of a shoestring tour.
Later Charlie took us out for a meal at a nearby street restaurant to indulge the local food and once again an enjoyable evening with an early night for all. On the side of this trip I began to for image ideas for a possible sequel to my soon to be self published Novel and a potential mythology to expand the fret book into a trilogy. Something that let me up late at night and where better a place to formulate an idea for a book that the city of arts of china.
The next morning we woke up for a day of the terracotta museum. Myself, Charlie the swedes and the travellers were in a mini can with mic, short for Michael as a nickname for the microphone, who served as our guide and took us to a terracotta workshop where we learnt about how they are made and and saw the different models and I bought a mini terracotta general as a souvenir from the experience. An hour later we made it to te terrorist museum. Entry required an I'd card so to my own amusement I used my SSI rescue diver card and have my underwater videography card to own of the travellers as he left his d at te hotel. The plan worked due to my sunglasses and American eagle bandana concealing most of the features also on the card and the traveller with his long dreadlocks. The sight if the terrocota warriors was two football fields long and this was a sight that can be said to be a life ambition accomplished. Our tour had mic giving us a lecture about the a story about how bill Clinton came for a visit and after seeing the museum he asked to see the farmer, who at 85 year old was in his seventies then, who's land was around the area that the terracotta warriors were discovered but the man had no education as he lived a poor life and spent ten minutes learning to write his name for an autograph to bill Clinton, which spawned a tradition for the farmer to sign his autograph for books about the terracotta warriors at the museum. There was a 20 minte film presented to us about this origins from the ding dynasty an their rediscovery which was very facinating. Following this long morning around the museum we had lunch as a legitimate Chinese subways, once again a surprise of china. Then we journeyed back to the town and we were dropped of at the Xian south city wall where which surrounded xian and was 33km and the record for one on bike do it was 47 minutes by bike and one of the travellers managed it in 30 whilst I did it in a hour including breaks for photographs and panoramas around the wall and to catch some of the amazing afternoon weather and scenery whilst the others walked for 1/4th of the wall and walked back to the hotel as so I journeyed through the streets back to the hotel and made a pit stop at Wallmart( another one) to buy food and snacks for the next train journey. I decided to take a tuk tuk back after that to enjoy the last few chances to be in one.
After a proper hot shower some of us with Charlie went out for supper on the streets and then explored te night market. I almost bought a pair of shoes but the size was too small as the Chinese generally have small feet.
Tge next morning was check out and our luggage was stored whilst we went out to have chow mein for lunch and went to look around an electronics store and then at 5 made it to the Chinese KFC outside the train station and carries on with card Games whilst having food. When it was time I go we were at the back of a long que to the Hayes to the platform so thanks to Charlie we paid for a shortcut to board the train first and were in good form by the time everyone else started to board.
As we left xian on a 17 hour journey at 8pm we learnt a Swedish card game( the name shall not be mentioned as I fear Blacks wouldn't see it from the same way as swedes!) and then it was light out and time to get some shut eye as we press on to shanghai.
I would like to end this blog with a warning before the following paragraphs with a philosophy that nothing ever goes 100 percent according to plan or word unless by a level and prepare to adapt to changes.
time to ge some rest before shanghai!
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